For Those Who Remain
by BlackStar42Roses
Summary: Four short stories on how one lives on after losing everything. D18, G27, 8059, LalxColonello.


For Those Who Remain

Multiple Pairings (D18) (G27) (8059) (Colonello x Lal)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Any similarities in events or characters living or dead are entirely coincidental.

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><p><em>For those for remain, why are you still here?<em>

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><p>Autumn<p>

Hibari stood, silent as usual. It wasn't unnatural for the skylark to prefer silence over speech, but today, in his hand, he held a white lily wrapped in crinkled wrapping paper and a blue ribbon. People had given him funny looks as he left the flower shop, but he didn't care.

Dino was waiting for him, like always. "Kyoya! How are you?" the blonde asked brightly as Hibari came to a halt in front of him. They were standing under the sprawling oak tree, where Dino always was. Hibari looked down blankly.

"Herbivore."

Dino smiled, lacing his fingers together behind his back and rocked on his heels a little. "Oh, Kyoya, you haven't changed much, have you?" Hibari ignored that and continued to play with the lily in his hands. "How long has it been?" the raven asked quietly, almost to himself.

Dion thought about that. "Two years, maybe?" Hibari sighed, a long, drawn-out sigh. He looked tired. Dino immediately reached out to touch his face. Hibari shivered, as though a cold breeze had blown by. "It's cold, Cavallone…it's cold without you."

Dino smiled, tears prickling in his eyes. "I know, Kyoya. I know."

Hibari bend down to place the lily on the soft, grassy patch before the gravestone. Dino stood next to him, watching Hibari trace the blonde's name etched into the grey stone.

"Kyoya, I'm sorry."

Hibari turned and left. He didn't look back.

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><p>Winter<p>

Giotto drummed his fingers on his desk, watching the coffee pot tick. It was a late December morning. Show capped the rooftops outside like sugar icing, and the sun illuminated the white city with a welcoming glow. The coffee pot ticked again. Giotto played with his spoon absentmindedly.

Tsuna sat opposite him, watching the blonde drift in and out of focus. He smiled. Giotto was like that. A bit airheaded and ditzy, but that was one of his most charming features. He was an innocent child in adult form. The pot dinged, signaling that the brew was ready, but Giotto made no move to fetch his drink. He stared past Tsuna, clear blue eyes still unfocused. Tsuna sighed and looked at the older man. "Mou, Gio, your coffee's going to get cold."

Still nothing. Tsuna looked at his feet, fresh tears in his eyes now. "Don't be like this, Gio…you'll break my heart." Over the course of multiple days, Tsuna had watched his beloved Primo slowly fade away, looking paler each day, smiling less always thinking instead. Tsuna walked over and kissed Giotto lightly on the cheek. "Take care of yourself, Gio. _Ashiteru_." Tsuna whispered, wiping his eyes before disappearing from the droom. Giotto didn't move.

The coffee pot sat waiting.

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><p>Rain<p>

Yamamoto was running. The rain was pouring down around him, soaking his shirt, flattening his hair against his forehead. Gokudera ran alongside him, fighting to keep up with Yamamoto's long legs. "Baka! You'll catch a cold!" he yelled at the baseball lover. As if on cue, Yamamoto sneezed and shook water out of his hair, right onto Gokudera. "Oi!" the silverette yelped indignantly.

"Maa, maa…I'm soaked," Yamamoto sighed, staring at his shirt. He slowed to a job, and then stopped running altogether, simply standing in the rain. Gokudera stopped too. "What are you doing?" he demanded. Yamamoto looked down. It was hard to tell, but Gokudera thought he the dark-haired man might be crying. He bit his lip. "You idiot…" Gokudera whispered, then pulled off his jacket and tossed it over their heads so that it covered both him and Yamamoto. Yamamoto blinked. Rain was still falling on him, but…it didn't feel so cold anymore.

Gokudera leaned in to rest his forehead against Yamamoto's. "Che, baka Takeshi…you're going to get sick."

Yamamoto paused, then wiped the water off his face and started walking again. Gokudera stayed where he was, watching him go silently. Then, Yamamoto looked up into the sky and said something that made Gokudera's eyes widen.

"Thank you, Hayato."

The downpour was already slowly stopping.

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><p>Warmth<p>

The fire in the hearth glowed. The flames flickered, and sparks fluttered amongst the coals. Lal pushed another log into the flames from where she was curled up under a blanket in front of the fireplace. Colonello sat by her feet, watching her stoke the flames.

"Watch the ash, kora," the blonde said brightly. "Don't get it on your blanket." Lal did not respond, instead, choosing to snuggled down into the comforter, which was patterned with a camouflage design, and incidentally, not her own blanket. "You always take my things, kora." Colonello mused. "And beat me up whenever I tried to take it back." He grinned at her. "But you know, Lal, I don't mind you using my stuff. Never did, never will." He tugged at the fraying ends of the blanket. Lal sniffed a little, curling up and hugging the soft cotton material against her. Colonello's lips twitched, and then he reached under the blanket to grasp Lal's hand. It was like trying to hold smoke.

"I love you, kora. So…please don't forget me."

Lal opened her eyes, blinking blearily. Several hours had passed, but the room was still bathed in a warm, orange glow. Lal sat up, rubbing her eyes, slightly confused. The fire was still burning brightly in the hearth, as though somebody had been stoking it all night.

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><p><em>For those that live without us; because we still miss you.<em>

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><p>End<p>

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><p>Mmm…some short work I did in my functions class :'D Hope you enjoyed it. Comments are much appreciated~<p>

~In dedication to the first snowfall of the season!~

-BlackStar


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